Weaker Tropical Storm Andrea drenches Florida, bound for East Coast

Tropical Storm Andrea, the first storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, drenched Florida, leaving residents to cope with flooding and property damage from high winds. Raw video.

By John Newland and Jeff Black, NBC News

Tropical Storm Andrea — the first storm of the Atlantic hurricane season — weakened considerably as it made landfall Thursday night, but it still packed enough punch to drench Florida and was expected to bring heavy rain to much of the East Coast through Saturday.

Tropical storm warnings remained in effect for coastal areas from Flagler, Fla., to Cape Charles Light in Virginia, but they were canceled for inland areas and Florida's Gulf Coast, the National Weather Service said early Friday. Maximum sustained winds — which hit 65 mph at landfall near the "Big Bend" area, about 35 miles northwest of Cedar Key, Fla. — dropped to 45 mph as the storm moved inland.

The waning storm was forecast to lose its tropical characteristics as early as Friday night as it moved across northern Florida on a path toward southeastern Georgia and the Carolinas before heading north. It was still expected to be a strong conventional storm system, however.

Andrea's outer bands still carried very heavy rain, which caused flooding across South Florida.

By later Friday, the storm was expected to affect major inland cities, including Washington and Philadelphia, bringing rain that could produce flooding, the National Weather Service said.

Heavily populated cities lie in the warning area that remains: the Tampa Bay area and Jacksonville in Florida; Charleston and tourist-packed Myrtle Beach in South Carolina; Wilmington and the heavily visited Outer Banks in North Carolina; and Norfolk, Virginia Beach and Newport News, Va.

New York activated its flash flood plan — with possible alerts via mobile phone — and issued a hazardous travel advisory as moderate to heavy rain was expected through early Saturday.

The Weather Channel

The latest forecast path and wind speeds from the National Hurricane Center, with the projected path of Tropical Storm Andrea.

At least six possible tornadoes were reported Thursday in Florida, said Greg Forbes, a severe weather specialist for The Weather Channel.

A tornado that ripped through Loxahatchee, Fla., damaging homes and tossing an 88-year-old woman from her bed. The fall broke both her legs, her son, Tim Kepler, told NBC station WPTV of West Palm Beach.